Withdrawal of mechanical ventilation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: a multicenter Italian survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Law 219/2017 was approved in Italy in December 2017, after a years-long debate on the autonomy of healthcare choices. This Law, for the first time in Italian legislation, guarantees the patient's right to request for withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments, including mechanical ventilation (MV).

Objective

To investigate the current status of MV withdrawal in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients in Italy and to assess the impact of Law 219/2017 on this practice.

Methods

We conducted a Web-based survey, addressed to Italian neurologists with expertise in ALS care, and members of the Motor Neuron Disease Study Group of the Italian Society of Neurology.

Results

Out of 40 ALS Italian centers, 34 (85.0%) responded to the survey. Law 219/2017 was f

SUBMITTER: Moglia C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10641048 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature